title: Economic concerns in the changing health care delivery system.
abstract: The economics of health care increasingly dictate care parameters with cancer care bearing a significant share of the burden because of its chronicity, hospital intensiveness, and lack of standard treatment approaches. A wide variety of effects have surfaced as changes in health care economics have been implemented. Increased emphasis on cost effectiveness, competition, shorter hospital stays, and threatened reimbursement for investigational therapies influence both providers and patients. We outline avenues for responsiveness.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Mortenson
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms